Mesh networks provide continuous connections and reconfiguration around broken or blocked paths by “hopping” from node to node until the destination is reached. Mobile Ad-Hoc NETworking (MANET) is featured in many devices and is a subsection of mesh networking. Mesh ad-hoc networks are self-healing and very reliable since the mesh network can still operate even when a node breaks down or a connection goes bad.
The mesh concept is applicable to wireless networks, wired networks, and software interaction. Mesh networks use inexpensive peer network nodes to supply back haul services to other nodes in the same network. The network is extended by sharing access to higher cost network infrastructure through generally mobile nodes that are dynamically reconfigurable to connect to each other via multiple hops.
Ad-hoc routing protocols are used in these mobile wireless networks. Traditionally, each link is assigned a unit metric, which is a reasonable approximation in wired networks. However, in wireless mesh networks, link capacity, delay, bit error rate, and so forth can vary widely and dynamically. For example, a particular wireless link between two nodes may currently provide a fast reliable path for forwarding packets. However, a short time later the same wireless link may no longer provide the optimal path. For example, the wireless connection could be jammed by another signal, one of the nodes for the link could move into a location where transmitting or receiving wireless signals is difficult, or other devices may start exchanging information with one of the nodes, slowing down transmit rates.
Thus, using a unit metric and choosing routing paths based on minimum hop counts may not necessarily provide the best way for transporting packets over a mesh network. The present embodiments address this and other problems.